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All Rise...

Thanks to modern technology, Appellate Judge James A. Stewart notes, a remake of this 1950s thriller would be titled House on E-Mail Hill.

The Charge

"This is the House on Telegraph Hill, where I once thought I'd find
peace and contentment."

Opening Statement

In the opening shots, the house looks sinister—a little bit like Dr.
Frankenstein's castle. Stark black-and-white images and a light in the center
give it that perfect haunted-house feel. There are no ghosts, per se, but a
concentration camp survivor's haunting memories and the death of an elderly
woman do cast death's specter over the proceedings.

Facts of the Case

Victoria (Valentina Cortese, The
Adventures of Baron Munchausen) went from a content life in Poland to being
"one of the miserable strays" in a Nazi concentration camp. There, she
befriends the frail Karin. When Karin dies three days before liberation,
Victoria—who has seen her own life destroyed and knows Karin had relatives
in the States—takes Karin's identity. "Poland does not exist any more
for me," she tells herself as she tears up her own papers.

When she arrives in the States to claim Karin's identity, Victoria finds
Karin's Aunt Sophia dead, and learns that custody of Karin's son Chris has been
awarded to Alan Spender (Richard Basehart, La
Strada, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea). Seeing safety in Alan's
arms, Victoria romances and quickly marries him, returning to the House on
Telegraph Hill in San Francisco.

Soon, Victoria figures out that all is not well in this old house. First,
there's the hole in Chris's playhouse, which he says was caused by an accident
involving some cleaning supplies and his chemical set. Whatever the cause, the
hole gives the playhouse a great view—and a sheer dropoff. Then there's
the mysterious housekeeper Margaret (Fay Baker, Notorious), whose main skill is
quietly sneaking up on people. In one scene, Victoria feels pity for Chris, who
has been sent up to bed while the adults party downstairs. She brings the boy a
dish of ice cream, which he accepts even though he fears Margaret's reaction. As
soon as he takes a bite, Margaret turns up. She tells Victoria that she lets
Chris make his own decisions, but the boy's change of heart about the ice cream
after a sharp glance from Margaret says otherwise. "How long have you been
concerned about Chris—a few weeks? I've been concerned about him all his
life—night and day," the overly controlling Margaret tells
Victoria.

Victoria finds comfort in Marc Bennett (William Lundigan, Inferno), who hangs around as a family friend
even though his relations with Alan aren't that cordial, since Alan resents
Marc's well-to-do upbringing. Is he in love with her himself?

The Evidence

As mentioned above, the house plays a big role in this picture. The
commentary notes that there was no real house, and points to the pieces of
location shooting that mixed with sets and movie magic to create the impression
of the huge, sinister mansion.

The look of the picture is also important, with lighting highlighting faces
and setting atmosphere, including that of the late Aunt Sophia as she watches
over her faux niece. One eerie scene early in the film, when Victoria spends her
first night in bed in the house, sets the tone. A light seems to shine on
Victoria's face as she tosses and turns, concerned about her deception and
worried about the situation in the house. A cut to the window reveals that a
branch whipping against the glass looks like a living monster. Even in daylight,
the house seems shrouded in shadows. Note the way the shadows of tree branches
reach out over Chris and Victoria when the two play catch in the backyard. The
black-and-white photography comes across crisply in the film, although the
trailer seems the worse for wear. The sound transfers well, too. Although it's
nothing fancy, it seems as good as new.

The two leads are great. Richard Basehart sounds perfectly reassuring and
sympathetic as Alan, while raising just enough doubt in the minds of movie
viewers. Even when you know something's not right, it's easy to believe Alan as
he tells Marc that Victoria must be imagining things, even after Marc learns of
a close call she had with her car, thanks to faulty brakes that could have been
cut. Valentina Cortese is convincing as a survivor, compassionate and caring
toward a son who isn't really hers as she stands up to housekeeper Margaret; she
telegraphs an inner strength even as she grows more frightened. In the
commentary, Eddie Muller points out that some of the pain Cortese emoted was
real, since she twisted an ankle and had other mishaps on the set. William
Lundigan is bland as Marc, but Fay Baker portrays Margaret as a woman with a mix
of really good intentions and nastiness—the perfect characteristics for a
screen villain.

The stills gallery here is well arranged, with divisions for posters,
production stills, unit photography, and publicity shots. I hope Fox is
considering this as a new format for these photo bonuses. If you want to see the
lovely Valentina Cortesa at her most glamorous, check out her publicity snaps.
If you think modern movie trailers are getting annoying, check out the one for
this picture. Since it reveals a key scene and plot twist, you'll want to wait
until you've seen the movie, though.

In the commentary, film historian Eddie Muller gives the usual
tidbits—the best among them the fact that Basehart and Cortesa fell in
love on the set of this one, marrying and keeping it secret until a visa check.
The two later headed back to her native Italy, where Basehart stayed until their
divorce several years later. Some of Muller's comments veer into Mystery
Science Theater 3000 territory; it's usually funny, but when he discussed a
pair of Hollywood murders, the jokes seemed out of place. Budding set designers
will like his take on the details on the piecing together of the sinister
house.

The Rebuttal Witnesses

While the great performances do carry the movie, Muller did find some plot
holes to fill in with jokes. How does Alan just forget about a big hole in his
kid's playhouse, anyway?

Closing Statement

Director Robert Wise isn't quite Alfred Hitchcock, but he does create a
serviceable thriller that kept me entertained.

The Verdict

Not guilty. Be sure to show this one to any friends who are considering
buying San Francisco real estate.